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In the last few decades, governments have focused a great deal of attention on the impact of buildings on our environment.

This focus is justified. Commercial and residential buildings are responsible for close to 17 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,­ making them the third-highest sector in Canada after oil/gas and transportation. Governments have invested considerable effort and research toward reducing the energy use of buildings and their corresponding GHG emissions. The good news is that, in comparison to the 1990s, we have significantly decreased our energy use per square foot. We also have moved away from using high GHG emissions energy sources for heating (such as heating oil or wood) to using cleaner sources (such as electricity). But the story does not end here.

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To catch up with a rapidly growing population, we are now constructing more buildings at faster rates, and creating larger buildings. A report published in November 2018 by the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Recourses indicated that, despite the substantial efficiency gains of the last 20 years, the sector’s overall GHG emissions have decreased by only three per cent.

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Building “green” is a prerequisite for mitigating climate change. But this approach misses a key point.

In a purely efficiency-focused approach, you can find yourself comparing a multi-storey parking garage with an elementary school, or a suburban strip-mall with a library building. In such comparisons, you can even find the parking garage to be more energy-efficient than the school.

But in the big picture, what impact do energy-efficient parking garages have on climate change, our cities and even our health? Perhaps the greenest parking garage is the one that is never built.

Perhaps the greenest parking garage is the one that is never built.

Is it meaningful to consider buildings simply as electric consumption and emissions statistics?

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Our kitchen appliances come with an environmental rating sticker proclaiming their virtues. But a building is more complex than a refrigerator. The buildings we construct serve many complex social, cultural and economic purposes. We live, work and learn in them. They shape our identity and culture.

We must be more critical, and consider not only how much energy a building consumes, but what this energy is used for. We have to move beyond the narrow focus on efficiency — on whether a building is “green” — to consider the broader picture.

Building sustainably requires attention to a structure’s environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts. This means moving beyond simple harm reduction to focus on environmental protection, cultural development, local economic growth and addressing social challenges in our communities — both during the planning and construction process and with respect to a building’s use.

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Sustainability is not just a buzzword. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which Canada is committed, provide 17 objectives, accompanied by clear targets. Goal 11, “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable,” is the most cited in discussions around the built environment. But I believe our buildings can contribute much more to this agenda by tackling such complex challenges as access to food through rooftop gardens, continuous education by transparently communicating sustainable design features and creating decent work opportunities for local residents.

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It is up to us to start calling upon the building sector to do much more than reduce energy and emissions. Our buildings, especially those that are publicly funded, should work to address our long-term social, economic, environmental and cultural challenges. We have to start focusing on the active roles buildings can play in our society: how they can give access for spaces for people to engage and learn, create new work opportunities, or raise awareness and encourage positive environmental behaviours.

So let’s change the course of our cities, and ensure that our buildings not only consume less, but also put their energy to good use.

Sherif Goubran is a PhD candidate, a Vanier Scholar (SSHRC), and a Concordia Public Scholar researching sustainable building practices. Adapted from a column in the Montreal Gazette.

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